Question
RAHAB’S FAITH
(Welcoming the Spies and the Scarlet Cord)
Joshua 2:1–24
Key Verse: Hebrews 11:31
- God was about to give the Israelites the Promised Land, under the new leadership of Joshua. But in order to receive the land, the people needed to act in faith. Jericho—an impregnable fortress—was the first city they had to encounter. At this time Rahab’s role in God’s redemptive history was crucial.
- What instructions did Joshua give the two spies, and where did they go? (1) How are Rahab and her home described? (1,15) When the king of Jericho sent for the spies, what did she decide to do? (2–7) What dangers did she face?
- When Rahab spoke to the spies, what conviction about God did she share with them? (9a,11b) How could she come to have such faith? (10; Ex15:14–16a; Ro10:17) How was her response different from her people’s? (9b,11a) How did her faith in God the Creator and Sovereign Ruler enable her to side with God’s people at a crucial moment?
- What favor for her act of kindness did Rahab request of the spies? (12–13) What was the sure sign she asked for? (12b,15,18) How did they respond, how did she help them, and what were the terms of their agreement? (14–21) How does the scarlet cord symbolize our faith in the blood of Jesus? (Ex12:13; Ro3:25a; Heb9:14)
- How did the spies report to Joshua? (22–24) How did Rahab’s words encourage Joshua and all the Israelites? How did Rahab’s faith in God’s judgment come true? (6:21) How did her faith transform her home into a sanctuary of salvation? (6:22–23; Heb11:31)
- Summarize the essential elements of faith we learn in this study. How did God use Rahab in his redemptive history? (Ru4:20–21; Mt1:5) What can we learn here about who God is and how he uses one person of faith in his work and history?